Bringing together more than 1,700 global leaders from business, government officials, academia, the scientific community, entrepreneurs and non-governmental organizations, the organization was held this year under the theme “Innovating at Scale.” At this prestigious summit, where leaders from around the world discussed the future of the global economy and technology, our University performed an important representation.

Who Will Define the Educational Institutions of the Future?

At the same time, Dr. Sertaç Yerlikaya, a member of the “Global Future Council on Jobs and Frontier Technologies” within the WEF, was a speaker at the panel titled “The Prestige Reset” (Redefining Prestige) held within the framework of the summit. The panel discussed how organizations that will train the workforce of the future must undergo a transformation today, when artificial intelligence is radically changing the ways of doing business and professions.

Dr. Yerlikaya, who made important assessments in the session, emphasized that the future of business can be built not by the efforts of a single actor, but by universities, companies, governments and the next generation of institutions, through strong cooperation and the development of a common vision.

“The New Global Currency: Competence”

Sharing his observations and global trends, Dr. Sertaç Yerlikaya pointed out that discussions on artificial intelligence have now shifted to the dimension of “institutional readiness” rather than the technology itself. Sharing his strategic determinations that stood out in the technological transformation process, Yerlikaya noted: “After three days of intense agenda in Dalian, I left with three basic wings. First, in the future, the competitive advantage will be gained not only by adapting technology, but also by redesigning the organizational structure in accordance with this technology. Second, past corporate prestige, greatness or heritage is now replaced by 'competence' as the most important global value. Third, the ones that will survive in the future will not be the ones with the most advanced AI, but organizations that can continually and dynamically redesign business, leadership and learning as technology evolves.”

Dr. Yerlikaya stated that the importance of the World Economic Forum is to test and question today's assumptions before the realities of tomorrow happen, rather than predicting the future; “The winners in the future will not only be those who react faster, but those who can rethink more quickly and flexibly.” He emphasized the mindset dimension of transformation.

As the University of Cappadocia, we congratulate our esteemed academicians, who play an active role in decision-making mechanisms on a global scale and in building the future, and wish them continued success.